BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Harvard University’s Niki Piovan (So., Vouliagmeni, Greece/HAEF Athens College) assisted Greece to overcome Italy, 13-11, in both teams’ opening game of Group B at the 2025 World Aquatics Women’s Junior World Championships (U20) in Salvador, Brazil.
The Greeks acquired a 4-2 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter and never looked back in holding 8-7 and 9-8 margins at the end of the second and third quarters, respectively, before outscoring the Italians 4-3 down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
Greece will next be in action at 7:00 p.m. local/6:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday, August 11, against the United States.
All matches for the 2025 World Aquatics Women’s Junior World Championships are scheduled to stream live on the World Aquatics YouTube site. Live statistics and postgame box scores are available from MicroPlus Timing Services.
Piovan is coming off a championship season with the Crimson as Harvard recorded the program’s inaugural Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) women’s title by knocking off Princeton University in overtime, 10-8, at Brown University in Providence, R.I., on April 27. The 2025 CWPA Championship Rookie of the Tournament, she also became the fourth Harvard women’s athlete to claim a regular season Rookie of the Year award since the creation of the honor prior to the 2003 season to join Devan Kennifer (Harvard – 2009 – Northern Division), Melissa Balding (Harvard – 2014 – Southern Division) and teammate Maya O’Dea (Jr., Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson) on the list.
A 2025 CWPA Championship All-Tournament Third Team honoree, she claimed four league Rookie of the Week nods (February 24, March 10, March 17, April 28) and an All-Conference First Team laurel to go along with Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Third Team All-America status for posting 106 points with 58 goals 48 assists.
